Mount Union Area School District - Budget

Budget

In 2009, the district reports employing over 150 teachers with a starting salary of $30,675 for 180 days work. The average teacher salary was $47,691 while the maximum salary is $105,575. In Pennsylvania, the average teacher salary for Pennsylvania's 124,100 public school teachers was $54,977 in 2008. As of 2007, Pennsylvania ranked in the top 10 states in average teacher salaries. When adjusted for cost of living Pennsylvania ranked fourth in the nation for teacher compensation. Additionally, Mount Union Area School District teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance which is paid by district in retirement until age 65, an up to $10,000 retirement bonus, professional development reimbursement, compensation for voluntary extracurricular activities, additional payment to write IEP plans for students, 3 paid personal days, and 10 sick days, life insurance and other benefits. According to State Rep. Glen Grell, a trustee of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System Board, a 40-year educator can retire with a pension equal to 100 percent of their final salary.

In 2007, the district employed 123 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $42,902 for 180 school days worked.

Mount Union Area School District administrative costs per pupil in 2008 was $720.81 per pupil. The district is ranked 289th out of 500 in Pennsylvania for administrative spending. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.

In 2008, Mount Union Area School District reported spending $11,658 per pupil. This ranked 321st in the commonwealth.

Reserves

In 2009, the district reported a $3,177, 562in a unreserved-undesignated fund balance. The designated fund balance was reported as zero. The Pennsylvania General Assembly sets a limit on how much money a district can have in its fund balance. The limit is based on the amount of the district's budget. As the total spending in the budget rises, the district is permitted to hold greater amounts in reserve.

In August 2009, the Pennsylvania Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the district. Findings were reported to the administration and school board.

The district is funded by a combination of: a local income tax, a property tax, a real estate transfer tax, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. Grants can provide an opportunity to supplement school funding without raising local taxes. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pension and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax regardless of the individual's wealth.

Read more about this topic:  Mount Union Area School District

Famous quotes containing the word budget:

    A budget takes the fun out of money.
    Mason Cooley (b. 1927)

    We might come closer to balancing the Budget if all of us lived closer to the Commandments and the Golden Rule.
    Ronald Reagan (b. 1911)

    You can fool all the people all the time if the advertising is right and the budget is big enough.
    Joseph E. Levine (b. 1905)